The Arizona sentinel., 1887-01-29
TRAINING FERRETS.

Harmless Little Animals Which Are
 Thrown in a Rage When Smelling
 Blood.
 "Ferrets are harmless and innocent looking little things said an aged ferret handler to reporter recently, '.but unless you know how to handle them you will soon find out they are not so innocent as they look. AL though not particularly affectionate, q ferret, if properly taken hold of, can not bite. Always remember this, do not go grabbing and snatching at one, half intending to take hold of him and half afraid that he will turn his head and take hold of you. Stoop down and quickly and easily seize him just between the forelegs, bring your hand down toward that part from behind; that is to say, do not put your hand down over his head and take hold, but take a mean advantage and approach him from the rear. In short time you will be able to pick him up any way and yet seldom or never get bit ten. Fear of consequence is every thing. As a rule, ferret bites are caused either by the hand being rough ly or suddenly put down, or timidly jerked away as the ferret turns round. I was bitten but once, and that was when kept my ferret in a barrel with a sieve over the top, as was the custom several years ago. was put ting down the dish containing their bread and milk and one of them seized me by the fore-fnger on my left hand. The severity of their bite may be esti- mated when I say that it is nearly twenty years since was bitten and the scar is as plain as ever. Since then l have handled a great number, and even carried them loose in the pocket of my coat and have never had the perform ance repeated. Until you are thor oughly at home with them it is advisa- ble to be very careful not to handle any game and so get blood on your hands. A ferret can smell blood wonderfully quick, and in that case, on being picked up, will fight and struggle to find out where it is.
 "How do you feed them?"
 "It is a good plan when feeding young ferrets to adopt the method em- ployed by the Belgian pigeon-hyers, that is, to utter shrill call each time you feed them, making the call first and then placing the food before them. They will soon begin to recognize it and will answer. This will often be serviceable when ferret sulks in an earth. As soon as they become well used to the hand, take them with their iill-a female ferret-to some outlying earth one not likely to be com plicated in its runs, or, better still, make simple run and put a rabbit to | it. Place a net over the earth and also the bolt, previously turning in the jill with her young ones. When the jill goes down the earth the young ones naturally follow, and among them they bolt the rabbit, if the earth contains one. When bolted it is, of course, caught in the net, and, having been killed, it should be allowed to remain in earth until the young ones come up, when they should be allowed to taste the carcass and then taken off. A few lessons like this will make a wonderful difference in the working of your young ferrets. For my own part l never muzzle ferret, neither do work it in cord or with bells, or any of the thou- | sand and one devices advocated. l do not mean to say ferret is better un- muzzled. but the difficulty is to find an effectual one. The best one, think, is round, flat ring that fits over the nose and has bar that crosses its center, screwing Ill at both sides. When on the ferret this bar passes just behind the canine teeth, and this has generally answered better than any others have tried, but even this comes of, especially OH an old ferret.-N r. Mail and Express,